E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Josephine Paolucci, and the Project
Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
By
1914
"Oh, how red your nose is!" cried little Mabel Blake, one day, as herbrother Hal came running out of the school yard, where he had beenplaying with some other boys. Mabel was waiting for him to walk homewith her as he had promised.
"So's your's red, too, Mab!" Harry said. "It's as red—as red as someof the crabs we boiled at our seashore cottage this summer."
"Is my nose red?" asked Mab of some of her girl friends.
"It surely is!" replied Jennie Bruce. "All our noses are red!" shewent on. "It's the cold that makes 'em so. It's very cold to-day, andsoon it will be winter, with lots of snow and ice! Oh! I just lovewinter!"
"Come on, Hal!" called Mab. "Let's hurry home before it gets anycolder!"
"Let's run!" suggested Hal. "When you run you get warm, and you don'tmind the cold."
"What makes us get warm when we run?" his sister inquired, as she tookhold of his hand and raced along beside him.
"I don't know," Hal answered, "but we'll ask Daddy when we get home.
He can tell us everything."
"Huh! Not everything!" cried Sammie Jones, one of the nice boys withwhom Hal played, "Your father doesn't know everything."
"Yes he does, too!" exclaimed Hal. Doesn't he, Mab?"
"Yep!" answered the little girl, shaking her head from side to side sofast that you could hardly tell which were her curls and which was herhair ribbon.
"Huh! Does your father know what makes a steam engine go?" asked
Sammie.
"Sure he does!" said Hal. "And he told us about it once, too; didn'the, Mab?"
"Yes, he did," the little girl answered. "I know, too. It's hot waterin the boiler that makes it go. The hot water swells up, and turnsinto steam, and the steam pushes on the wheels, and that makes theengine go."
"And our Daddy knows what makes an automobile go, too," went on Hal.
"He knows everything."
"Huh! Well, I guess mine does then, too!" spoke Sammie. I'm going toask him what—what—makes it lightning!"
"And then will you tell us?" asked Mab, for she and Hal wanted to knowabout everything they saw.
"Yes, I'll tell you," promised Sammie. "And we'll ask Daddy Blake whatmakes us warm inside when we run," went on Hal, "and then we'll tellyou that, Sammie."
The children ran home from school, and, thought it was cold, for itwas almost winter now, they did not mind it. Their noses got more andmore red, it is true, but they knew when they were in the house, nearthe warm fire, the red would all fade out.
Hal and Mab said good-bye to Sammie, as he turned down his street,and then the little Blake boy and girl, hand in hand, ran on to theirhouse.
As they reached it they saw their mamma and their Aunt Lolly out inthe front yard, bringing in pots of flowers and vines.
"Quick, children!" called Mamma Blake, "You are just in time! Here,Hal, you and Mab put down your books" and help us to carry in theflowers. Take only the small pots, and don't drop them, or get anydirt on your clothes."
"Oh, I'm sure somethin